France, Germany and the United Kingdom have drafted their own version of a peace agreement on Ukraine in response to the proposal from Donald Trump’s administration. The European document sets out a different approach to security guarantees, the EU’s role in negotiations, the permitted size of the Ukrainian army and the terms for discussing territorial issues.
Details of the American initiative, which contains 28 points, emerged last week. Among other things, it mentioned a ban on NATO troop deployments in Ukraine and de facto recognition of Crimea, as well as the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as Russian. On November 23, US and Ukrainian representatives held talks in Geneva and amended the draft, after which they said there had been “significant progress.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had not officially received the text and urged observers not to rely on media leaks.
Key differences
The American version proposed capping the Ukrainian armed forces at 600,000 personnel, while the European version allows up to 800,000 troops in peacetime. On territory, the European countries insist that any discussion must begin strictly from the current line of contact, and that any change in territorial status can occur only through negotiations and must not be imposed on Kyiv.
Another difference concerns sequencing. The US draft says a ceasefire would begin after both sides withdraw to agreed positions. The European version requires a full and unconditional ceasefire first, with territorial issues discussed only afterward. It also says compliance should be overseen by international monitoring, including European forces.
On NATO, the American side proposes entrenching Ukraine’s non-membership in its Constitution and in the alliance’s charter. The European text says only that there should be no permanent deployment of NATO troops under alliance command on Ukrainian territory in peacetime; Ukraine’s membership, it adds, depends on consensus within the bloc. At the same time, the European side assumes that Ukraine should become a member of the EU.
The approaches also diverge on sanctions and frozen Russian assets. The European draft allows sanctions relief only after a durable peace is achieved and says the assets should remain frozen until Russia compensates Ukraine for the damage. Only then could they be used for reconstruction. In addition, the European participants want to secure a leading role for the EU, France, Germany and the United Kingdom in drafting and implementing the agreement.
“We have agreed on the core elements needed for a just and lasting peace and for Ukraine’s sovereignty,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, highlighting the inadmissibility of changing borders by force, rejection of limits that would leave Ukraine vulnerable, and the EU’s central role in securing peace.
On November 22, European leaders said the US plan could serve as a basis but required further work. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said after the G20 summit in Johannesburg that he had made clear to Trump in a phone call that Europe must be part of any process to end the war. Against that backdrop, according to ABC News, Washington is planning a separate meeting with a Russian delegation, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky might speak by phone on Sunday.